"Battle Phase ends. I Set one card and end my turn. All right, it's your turn now." Alicia looked calmly at Chuck, who was still half-kneeling on the ground.
Chuck clenched his right fist, swallowing the sting of humiliation. "I don't need you to tell me!"
He pushed himself to his feet and yelled, "My turn! Draw!!"
He glanced at the card he drew, and his eyes flashed with sudden excitement. It was a draw card—Pot of Greed.
Albeit, his expression tightened again right after. He still couldn't think of a way to defeat Alicia's Flame Wingman.
"You're giving up from just this? Chuck Jed!!"
That familiar voice echoed in his ear, and Chuck immediately knew who it belonged to.
"Flame Swordsman!?"
"Yeah. Chuck… are you afraid?"
Chuck let out a bitter smile. "Yeah. I'm scared. That woman is really strong.
"It's not just because of Favorite HERO. She's strong herself. And I feel like she hasn't even been fighting seriously. She's been in control the entire time, like this is nothing to her.
"And even at that level, I'm already struggling. If she actually went all out... I don't know how many turns I could last."
"So, are you saying you don't dare keep fighting?"
"Of course not!" Chuck snapped back without hesitation. "Maybe I'm weaker than she is; still, I'm not going to quit. My father once told me: If you want to become a real man, you have to face hardship head-on.
"So even if I lose in the end, I'm still going to swing my blade at her with everything I've got!"
"Good. In that case, let's swing our blades together." Flame Swordsman's spirit stood at Chuck's side, its tone solemn. "Draw, Chuck. Show them the strength of us swordsmen!!"
Chuck stared at Flame Swordsman for a bit with determined eyes and a filled heart, feeling strength surge in those words. Then he shouted, "All right!! I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed! I draw two cards!!"
A trail of crimson flame tore through the air, and for a second, there was even the echo of a dragon's roar.
From the sidelines, Professor White noticed that and couldn't hide his surprise.
Farther away, Autrys Bredt—now the class representative of Class A—and his retainer, Carl Owens, watched from a distance. When that crimson light appeared, Autrys smiled in approval.
"So Chuck has finally raised his blade. When a Duel Spirit recalls its past, it can release its true power… however, that power needs its duelist to guide it.
"There's always been a legend of the Flame Swordsman in Chuck's homeland. That means he already held the key to unlocking Flame Swordsman's strength all along. He just never had the confidence to use it.
"But now he's finally using it."
Carl, who had also seen the crimson flare, asked softly, "Your Highness, do you think Chuck has a chance to win?"
Autrys was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"As much as I want Chuck to win… if he does, then three out of the five classes would have class reps aligned with us... but... she's too strong. It's not just Chuck. Even I can't say with certainty that I could beat her right now.
"So for now, I just hope Chuck doesn't lose the confidence he finally gained."
Back on the field, as Chuck drew his two new cards, his gaze hardened. Alicia right away sensed that something had changed.
She almost turned to ask Yuui what was happening—abruptly, then, she remembered what Yuui had said before the duel began. So she forced down the urge to ask for help and decided to face this with her own strength.
On the other side, Chuck looked over his new cards, and his eyes flew wide.
He clenched his fist and shouted, "I activate the Continuous Spell—Flame Swordsrealm!!!"
A roaring blast of gold-red fire erupted around Chuck, swirling outward like a tornado of flame. Within it, the faint silhouette of a golden-red fire dragon coiled and roared toward the sky.
"According to legend, the Flame Swordsman's weapon originally was nothing more than an ordinary iron sword. But, one day, while he was slaying monsters and purging evil, he encountered a being of living flame—an elemental Flame Dragon—and made it his partner.
"From that day on, the plain iron sword became the Salamandra Sword, and he became known to the world as the Flame Swordsman!!"
Bathed in the blaze, Chuck spoke softly, reciting the tale of the Flame Swordsman. Beside him, Flame Swordsman's spirit stood wreathed by a golden-red fire dragon slowly coiling around him.
"Next, I Normal Summon Hayabusa Knight in Defense Position!!"
[Hayabusa Knight] Level 3│WIND│Warrior│700 DEF
"Then I activate the effect of the Continuous Spell Flame Swordsrealm! Once per turn: I can send 1 monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard, and Special Summon from my Extra Deck 1 Flame Swordsman as if it were Fusion Summoned.
"I send the Masaki the Legendary Swordsman in my hand to the Graveyard, and Special Summon—wielder of the Salamandra Sword, the slayer of demons—Flame Swordsman!!"
A surge of roaring fire gathered and forged itself into a golden-red greatsword, the blazing kanji for "Flame" burning along its blade. The golden-red flame dragon merged into the weapon, becoming its spirit.
A towering warrior in a deep blue battle suit and crimson armor strode forth from the fire, drawing that blazing sword in one smooth motion.
Just then, the flames around him surged and danced, as if cheering for his arrival.
Flame Swordsman—descends!!
[Flame Swordsman] Level 5│FIRE│Warrior│1800 ATK
"Whoa. That entrance for a Level 5 Fusion Monster is pretty cool."
Alicia blinked. "Yuui!!"
Alicia's eyes sparked the moment she saw Yuui appear beside her. "You said you were going to let me handle this duel myself! So you really did come to—ow!!"
Yuui flicked her on the forehead. "What are you thinking? I only came out to watch Flame Swordsman's entrance."
"Aw, I thought you were coming to help me." Alicia puffed her cheeks.
"Don't overthink it. Even if I don't help, you can beat him." Yuui crossed his arms, his tone firm and absolute.
"Really?" Alicia glanced uncertainly at the cool, imposing Flame Swordsman across the field. "Because it honestly feels like I'm about to lose."
"Stop spiraling. Flame Swordsrealm is a good card, but the boost it gives Flame Swordsman isn't on the same level as what Favorite HERO gives your HEROes. And it's not like that's your only card. As long as you don't miss your timing, you win."
"...Oh."
On the other side, after summoning Flame Swordsman, Chuck continued, "Continuous Spell The A. Forces! All Warrior and Spellcaster monsters I control gain 200 Attack for each Warrior or Spellcaster I control.
"Right now, I control two Warriors, so both Flame Swordsman and Hayabusa Knight gain 400 Attack!"
[Flame Swordsman, ATK: 1800 → 2200]
[Hayabusa Knight, DEF: 700 | ATK: 1000 → 1400]
"I'm not done yet! I activate the Equip Spell Salamandra! This card can only be equipped to a FIRE monster, and the equipped monster gains 700 Attack!
"I equip Salamandra to Flame Swordsman and raise his Attack by another 700!!"
The dragon spirit burst from the blade, coiling around it. Flame Swordsman's aura spiked sharply.
[Flame Swordsman, ATK: 2200 → 2900 | Equipped: Salamandra]
"Two thousand nine hundred Attack, huh. Still a bit lower than Flame Wingman." Alicia nodded at the Duel Disk display. "Yep. Favorite HERO is still stronger."
Yuui glanced sideways at her, the corner of his mouth quirking up, but said nothing.
Then, under Alicia's mildly confused stare, Chuck thrust out his arm.
"Battle Phase! Flame Swordsman—attack Flame Wingman!!"
"Huh!? You're actually attacking with the weaker monster on purpose? Doesn't Flame Swordsman not even have an effect!?" Alicia blurted out.
Chuck promptly answered her.
"Now, I activate the other effect of the Continuous Spell Flame Swordsrealm! Once per turn, when a monster declares an attack: I can target 1 Warrior monster I control. That monster loses 1000 Attack until the end of the turn, and all other monsters I control gain 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!
"I target my Hayabusa Knight, lowering its Attack by 1000, and Flame Swordsman gains another 1000 Attack!
Flame Swordsman: "Lend me your strength, Hayabusa Knight!"
Hayabusa Knight: "Take it, boss! Show those HEROes who the real warrior is!"
Flame Swordsman: "I will!!"
The two warriors locked eyes. Flames burst from Hayabusa Knight's body, wrapping around Flame Swordsman and igniting his aura even further.
[Hayabusa Knight, DEF: 700 | ATK: 1400 → 400]
[Flame Swordsman, ATK: 2900 → 3900 | Equipped: Salamandra]
"Three thousand nine hundred Attack!!"
"Whoa… that's even higher than Hunter's was before!"
"This is it! You got this, Chuck!!"
"Beat her, Chuck! You can do it!!"
Hearing his classmates shout his name, Chuck nodded fiercely and slashed his arm forward. "Go, Flame Swordsman! Attack Flame Wingman—Fighting Flame Sword!!"
"Hraaah!!"
Flame Swordsman roared and charged. Flame Wingman raised his right arm; the dragon head on his arm gathered burning energy.
The next blink, the flaming sword and fire dragon collided head-on. The blast scorched the arena black.
None of Class 1-E cared about that right now. Every single one of them just wanted Flame Swordsman to cut down Flame Wingman, and their cheers rang out across the field.
And judging by the clash on the field, it really did look like Flame Swordsman was about to overpower Flame Wingman.
Suddenly, Alicia flipped her Set card.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Blind Spot Strike! I target 1 face-up Defense Position monster your opponent controls and 1 face-up Attack Position monster I control. The Attack of my monster increases by the Defense of that targeted monster until the End Phase!
"I target your Hayabusa Knight in Defense Position and my Flame Wingman, raising Flame Wingman's Attack by your Hayabusa Knight's Defense—700!"
In a split second, another surge of flame burst from Hayabusa Knight's body and flowed into Flame Wingman.
No one on the field had expected that. Even Flame Swordsman himself, still locked in a blade struggle with Flame Wingman, couldn't help glancing back at his own comrade.
Flame Swordsman: "Hayabusa Knight... you BACKSTABBED ME (`皿´)/!!"
Hayabusa Knight: "Boss, listen!! I was forced!! I'm loyal, I swear ^(;´Д`^)! It's her! She drugged me!!"
Flame Swordsman: "I'M NOT LISTENING (〃>皿<)!!"
Flame Wingman: "Huge~ thanks to the enemy support unit for the free power-up. I'll be taking your boss's head now."
In just a few heartbeats, the betrayal between brothers was complete. Empowered by Hayabusa Knight's strength, Flame Wingman's aura now surpassed even the Flame Swordsman, who had been powered up by that very same Hayabusa Knight.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, ATK: 3300 → 4000 | Equipped: Favorite HERO | Spell: Blind Spot Strike | Targeted Ally: Hayabusa Knight]
...
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